How to combat precariousness with collective models? – Athenaeum

The platform economy has deeply transformed the labor market in the last decade. Companies like Uber, Glovo or Amazon They have redefined the way we work in sectors such as transport, distribution and services, creating new business models based on technology and job flexibility. Although these platforms have facilitated access to services and generated new employment opportunities, they have also been responsible for great precariousness of the labor market, with conditions that workers often leave without rights or safety.

In the face of this scenario, Platform Cooperativism has emerged as an alternative to guarantee decent working conditions, putting control in the hands of the workers themselves. Instead of depending on algorithms controlled by large corporations, platform cooperatives allow to collectively manage digital tools and the distribution of revenue, ensuring that the benefit is distributed equally and that workers have a voice in decision -making.

How has the platform economy changed the labor market?

The platform economy is based on the use of digital applications and platforms to connect supply and demand in different sectors. This seemingly efficient and flexible model has led to a deregulation of working conditions, with a large number of workers who are in situations of false freelancers, without labor rights and with unstable salaries.

Many of these workers completely depend on an algorithm for orders or services, without any control over the conditions of their work. This has generated a new form of precariousness where workers They assume all riskswhile technology companies are limited to acting as intermediaries, gaining benefits without holding their working conditions.

Lack of regulation in this sector has allowed large platforms to establish their own rules, often avoiding labor laws and avoiding hiring workers directly. This has led to the creation of a labor market highly competitive and unprotectedwhere workers are forced to accept low rates and long working days to generate sufficient income.

Platform co -operatives: A real alternative?

In front of this scenario, initiatives have emerged from platform cooperativism who are looking for technology to put it at the service of workers. These cooperatives are based on the same digital infrastructure of the large platforms, but with a model of collective and democratic management that guarantees labor rights and a just distribution of benefits.

Platform cooperatives differ from conventional platforms in various key aspects:

✅ Collective property: Instead of being controlled by private investors, these platforms are the property of the workers who use them.

✅ Decent working conditions: Basic rights such as fair wages, social coverage and regulated schedules are guaranteed.

✅ Autonomy and democracy: Decisions on rates, working conditions and operation of the platform are taken collectively and not imposed by an external company.

✅ Redistribution of profits: The profits generated are distributed among the members of the cooperative, instead of going to large corporations or investors.

This model not only offers a fairer labor alternative, but also allows to avoid abusive and deregulatory practices that characterize many conventional platforms.

Successful cases in platform co -operatives

In Europe and around the world, various initiatives have shown that it is possible to develop platform cooperative models that compete with large corporations, offering similar services but with a more equitable labor structure.

🔹 Mensakas (Barcelona, ​​Catalonia): A dealer cooperative that works as an alternative to Glovo and Deliveroo. Managed by the employees themselves, it offers distribution services with decent working conditions and a commitment to sustainability.

🔹 Farbnb (Europe): A cooperative tourist accommodation platform that wants to be an alternative to Airbnbguaranteeing that part of the revenue generated is intended for social projects and avoiding the gentrification and rise in housing prices.

🔹 The Pájara (Madrid, Spain): A mobility cooperative that offers sustainable and collective transport services, managed horizontally by its members.

🔹 CoopCycle (International): A Federation of Distribution Cooperatives that uses a shared digital platform to manage messaging and distribution services, ensuring that the working conditions are fair and that workers have control over their work.

These initiatives have shown that it is possible to develop viable alternatives within the digital economy sector, provided that there is a collective organization and a commitment on the part of society to support these models.

The Platform Cooperativism in the Baix Llobregat: potential and challenges

The Baix Llobregat, a region with a strong cooperative and union tradition, has the potential to become a benchmark in the development of platform cooperatives. The growth of the distribution and logistics sector in the region has led to an increase in precariousness, especially among warehouse workers and distributors.

Initiatives like Mensakas They have collaborated with various entities in the territoryand other cooperative projects could settle in the Baix Llobregat to offer alternatives to the current model. However, in order to consolidate these experiences, several obstacles must be overcome.

⚠ Access to funding: Creating a technology platform requires initial investment and technical support, elements that are often difficult to achieve for emerging cooperatives.

⚠ Inequality of conditions with large corporations: Platforms like Uber and Glovo have a great competitive advantage in terms of funding and customer attracting capacity.

⚠ Lack of institutional support: Despite some legislative advances, there is still not enough support to promote local platform cooperatives.

To address these challenges, a joint strategy is required between Public administrations, ESS entities and technological cooperativeswith the aim of creating shared digital infrastructure and fostering the use of these alternatives by the citizenry.

Toward a fairer and sustainable platform model

The platform economy has arrived to stay, but this does not mean that it has to continue operating under the same principles of exploitation and deregulation. Plataforma co -operatives offers a real alternative that allows workers to regain control over their work and technology to serve people, and not vice versa.

The Baix Llobregat and other territories with a strong cooperative tradition can lead this transition, promoting initiatives that show that It is possible to create digital platforms without precarious work and without concentrating the benefits in the hands of a few. The challenge now is to consolidate this model, expand it and ensure that the future of the digital economy does not repeat the mistakes of the past.